


Fire Emblem: Sword and Shield

by glassdrachma



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Byleth and Sothis are Sisters, Female My Unit | Byleth, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Relationships Tagged As They Appear, Other characters tagged as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24589897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassdrachma/pseuds/glassdrachma
Summary: “Have you even battled before?” said Sothis incredulously, sitting up. “You only just got your first Pokemon! It was an hour ago! I was the one who gave it to you!”“Doesn’t part of the Gym Challenge involve training your Pokemon as you go along anyways?” Claude reasoned.“And I have been training,” said Byleth. “Dad’s been letting me and Munchlax practice moves on the dummy in the backyard.”“I’ve spent more on training dummies the past twelve years than I have on her education,” muttered Jeralt.Rookie trainer Byleth leaves home in hopes of becoming Galar's newest Champion. She maybe saves the world a little on the way.Fire Emblem: Three Houses, in a Pokemon: Sword and Shield AU.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan, My Unit | Byleth & Sothis
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. the champion comes home

That morning, Jeralt had shaken his head and said, “You’d better head down to the train station. Who knows what sort of nonsense your sister will get up to left on her own? Best to escort her home.”

Which is how Byleth ended up in Wedgehurst on the outskirts of a gathering crowd, peering around for a glimpse of green hair or a Pokemon’s turquoise tail. It was beautifully sunny, the perfect day to receive her first Pokemon, or so Claude had said on the way here. The sky was clear, the air was cool, and the grass still shimmered from the morning’s rain. It looked as though half the town had gathered on the cobblestone path in front of the train station.

Claude put his hands behind his head and whistled. The sound wavered; he’d only begun to learn how, and the practicing he’d been doing the past few weeks had done more to annoy the adults in his family than allow him to achieve whistling perfection. “Man, what a turnout. Should we get closer? Is she even going to be able to see us?”

Byleth shook her head. She possessed no desire to squeeze herself through.

“Fair enough.”

Byleth had known Claude since they were eight years old and he’d moved to Postwick. Their houses were just down the street from each other’s – in fact, insofar as Byleth could tell, their two houses composed the entirety of Postwick – and were often pushed to play with each other as a result. During their first meeting, he’d paced around her with a look of suspicion and bombarded her with questions about how long she’d lived there (“Forever.”), where her mother was (“Dead.”), why she lived in such a remote part of the Galar region as if he weren’t doing the same (“Dunno.”), whether she had any siblings (“One.”), and what she liked to do in her free time (“Beat the training dummy in the backyard with a stick until Daddy stops me.”).

After he’d helped her make a makeshift bow and arrow out of a stick and tied-together rubber bands, which they’d used to shoot at the training dummy from her bedroom window, nearly taking out Byleth’s father’s eye and getting them both grounded in the process, they’d become friends.

A shrill and familiar voice broke out over the murmuring crowd. Byleth looked up. Claude immediately lowered his hands and stood on his toes, craning his head to see the train station’s entrance.

Striding out with a Dragapult gliding beside her was a tall, sharp-eyed young woman wearing deep blue clothing and a red, fur-lined cape. The Champion of the Galar swept her wild green hair over her shoulder and cried, “Bask in my glory, mortals! Your Champion, Sothis, has returned!”

To punctuate her speech, Sothis’s Dragapult’s body stretched out into a shudder and let out a howling screech. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Claude said, “Wow.”

Byleth clapped politely. Her sister had always had a flair for dramatics.

“People of Wedgehurst!” Sothis raised her arms like a queen coming home, or maybe a dictator delivering propaganda. “I hope you’ve all been training hard to beat me while I was gone.”

“We love you, Sothis!”

“You and Dragapult are just too strong!”

“The undefeated Champion, woohoo!”

“Yes, I am indeed amazing,” she agreed, “but are any of you actually willing to battle me? Anybody?”

She squinted into the sudden silence. The crowd shied away from her gaze like children avoiding the attention of a schoolteacher. At last her eyes landed on two children near the edge of the throng, a stone-faced girl with blue hair and her companion, staring at her in amused disbelief. Byleth waved.

Sothis sighed. Byleth saw it in the way her shoulders slumped ever-so-slightly, in the way her eyes briefly lifted to the heavens. Her mouth stretched out into a fearsome smile. Galar’s Champion spun in place and thrust out her hand, thumb and first two fingers splayed. Dragapult chittered. The crowd cheered again.

“Is she really your sister?” Claude whispered, leaning towards her with a conspiring hand over his mouth. “You two are nothing alike …”

“Shut up,” Byleth whispered back. He snickered.

“Alright, alright, if no one’s willing to fight me then you should all be on your way. Go on. Shoo, shoo!” Sothis flapped her hands. Dragapult hissed, thrusting out his wide, flat head like a sentient knife at those that lingered. “I will accept anyone who stays as a challenger.” The path outside of the train station abruptly emptied. “That’s right, run off, you cowards!”

“Welcome home,” said Byleth when Sothis approached, black square-heeled boots clacking on the cobblestone.

“Byleth,” her sister sniffed, crossing her arms. “Did Dad send you here? I’m perfectly capable of walking the straight path from Wedgehurst to Postwick on my own, you know.”

Dragapult pulled away from Sothis to circle Byleth in a blur of pink and blue, his gaze assessing. Byleth smiled and patted him on the head. He leaned into the touch before turning towards Claude with a low, speculative hiss.

“And this must … your friend, Claude Riegan?” With one hand on her hip and the other on her chin, Sothis evaluated him with a critical eye. “Byleth’s told me lots about you. An aspiring Champion, correct? You probably already know this, but I’m Sothis Eisner, Galar’s unbeatable.”

“I look forward to beating you, Miss Sothis.” Claude extended his hand.

Sothis laughed a little, startled. “What an arrogant child! I can see why you’re friends with my bloodthirsty sister.” Byleth shook her head from where she was playing with Dragapult’s tail, tossing it back and forth between her hands. As if Sothis wasn’t partially famous for the vicious attitude she carried into battle. “In that case, I look forward to crushing your hopes and dreams.” The Champion shook his hand with a dark smile.

“Dad’s preparing a barbecue for us back home,” said Byleth. “Claude’s aunt and uncle will be there too. We should head over.”

“Indeed?” Sothis began to stride down the path connecting Wedgehurst and Postwick. Byleth and Claude hurried after her. “How thoughtful of him. I have gifts for the two of you, by the way. Rhea dumped some Pokemon on me before I left Wyndon, more than I actually need to complete my current team, so I’ll let you guys have first choice. Marvel at my generosity!”

“Really?!” An excited gleam entered Claude’s eyes. “That’s amazing! Since I already have a Hoothoot, Aunt Judith said I wasn’t allowed to get more Pokemon. Something about cutting down on potential enablers of mischief and keeping the house intact. But she’ll have to accept it if it’s from the Champion!”

“That’s concerning,” Sothis remarked. “Byleth, is your friend very likely to destroy his house if I give him a Pokemon?”

“Claude has had Hoothoot for many years, but his house is still standing,” said Byleth loyally. Claude gave her a thumbs up that he quickly put away when Sothis glanced at him.

“Well, that’s good enough for me,” she said after a moment. “After all, how much trouble could two eight-year olds really get into?”

“Sothis, we’re twelve already.”

“And yet you’ve changed so little from that time, sister.” She ruffled Byleth’s hair, making her blink and Claude laugh under his breath. “Are you truly our father’s daughter? You’re so short.”

She said this with no small amount of smugness. Byleth scowled and batted her hand away. A few years ago, Sothis had gotten her long-awaited growth spurt that finally allowed her to look like an adult, but Byleth could still remember the days when she’d been as short than Byleth. Even though she was nearly a decade older, they’d often gotten mistaken for twins. Jeralt found it funny, but it infuriated Sothis to this day. Byleth knew this because she kept pretending it had never happened.

Byleth was pretty sure that she was taller now than Sothis had been at her age, but knew better than to argue otherwise.

“Traditionally speaking,” said Sothis around a mouthful of sriracha-covered kebab, “the members of our family have always had a genetic fondness for … green.” Upon arriving at the Eisner house, she had tied back her own vibrant hair with a pink ribbon to keep it from flying into her face or food. “My little sister here is an exception. I have no idea what strange combination of our parents’ genetics gave her … that, instead.” She gestured in the general direction of her head with the skewer.

Byleth sat in a lawn chair with Sobble in her lap, one of the Pokemon’s tiny hand gently grasped in her own. With her other hand, Byleth fed her roasted pieces of red bell pepper and zucchini.

She said, “Sobble’s mine. I knew it as soon as I saw her. We were made for each other.”

Sobble squeaked in agreement, cheeks puffing happily.

Sothis said, “I suppose your choice is visually consistent, if nothing else.” With some derision, “Rhea’ll be disappointed. Oh well, at least I got the green one.”

Dragapult had curled up on the ground around his newest teammate like an oversized cat with a new toy. Sothis patted Grookey’s head. He shook his little stick like a baby shaking a rattle.

From where he was sitting in the grass with Scorbunny, Claude reached out to grasp the corner of Sothis’s cape. “Why are you wearing this? Aren’t you hot?”

She sniffed. “Champions don’t sweat.”

Claude’s eyebrows rose and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but he let go without saying anything.

Byleth met her father’s eyes from across the backyard. He was sitting with Claude’s aunt and uncle with a can of beer in hand. Nader and Judith were arguing about something or another, but Jeralt was looking over at them with an expression of long-suffering.

“Why would Chairman Rhea be disappointed?” said Byleth. “This is the perfect Pokemon.” Sobble’s eyes began to water. Her bottom lip started to tremble. “Oh no, please don’t cry! It’s a compliment.”

The Pokemon wailed. “I think those are tears of joy,” said Claude, folding his arms and peering over with open curiosity.

Sothis waved a dismissive hand. “Something about ongoing family traditions and thematic consistency, it’s unbearable, but you know how she is.”

“I don’t, actually.”

“… Right, you’ve never actually met her before, have you?” Sothis uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together. “Well, Dad’s stories about her turned out to be pretty spot on. She’s very kind. A very warm person. Rather … smothering, at times.” She wrinkled her nose and said, “I think she thinks we’re in a need of a mother’s touch.” Byleth winced.

Claude swallowed a mouthful of hamburger. “You’re talking about Madame Chair? She’s your aunt, right? Byleth, are you related to every famous person in Galar or what?”

“Don’t get us wrong, kid. Sitri and I moved to Postwick to get away from that kind of noise.” Jeralt strode across the backyard to loom over them like a beige, beefy mountain. “Though Sothis here shot that duck dead in the water when she decided to run off and become Champion. Congratulations on your recent win, by the way. Catherine’s not a gym leader just anyone can beat.”

“Shame that her losing streak against me is so unbroken, then,” said Sothis remorselessly. “But thank you.” She ducked Jeralt’s attempt to ruffle her hair with the expertise of one who had had to many times before.

“Cheeky brat! I don’t know where you got it from. Sitri never had such a lofty attitude.”

He passed them napkins. Sothis dabbed at her lips with a primness that contrasted with the way she’d been stuffing her face earlier. Byleth used one of them to wipe the tears from Sobble’s cheeks.

“If people wanted me to be less arrogant then they should train harder to defeat me,” said Sothis. She put her chin in her hands and looked at the grass as though it were a lemon she’d just bitten into. “I’d welcome a challenge. It would even be worth an actual loss.”

Claude nudged Byleth. “I guess we’re just going to have to work real hard to defeat you this year, right, By?”

Sothis looked up. “You two will be joining the Gym Challenge?”

“If you endorse us,” said Byleth. She widened her eyes. Jeralt snorted. “Please, Sothis?”

“Have you even battled before?” said Sothis incredulously, sitting up. “You only just got your first Pokemon! It was an hour ago! I was the one who gave it to you!”

“Doesn’t part of the Gym Challenge involve training your Pokemon as you go along anyways?” Claude reasoned.

“And I have been training,” said Byleth. “Dad’s been letting me and Munchlax practice moves on the dummy in the backyard.”

“I’ve spent more on training dummies the past twelve years than I have on her education,” muttered Jeralt.

“We’ve been watching footage of your battles from when you first took on the Gym Challenge,” Claude added. “Doesn’t seem that hard, no offense.”

Sothis opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “I swear I had those embarrassing old clips destroyed!”

“Internet,” said Byleth helpfully, and also misleadingly.

Jeralt, from whom Sothis had inherited her blunt honesty, said, “I had backup copies and lent them to the kids. Did you really think I wouldn’t keep records of your victories, sweetie? I was so proud to see my little girl going off into battle for the first time all those years ago, though truth be told, I never expected you’d actually make it as far as Champion on your first try.”

Galar’s unbeatable sat back in her white plastic lawn chair, stunned.

“Besides,” said Byleth, “it can’t hurt to try. If we can’t handle the Challenge then we’ll find out when we lose against a Gym Leader, right? It’ll be a good learning experience either away.”

“Forget about Gym badges! Do either of you even have Pokedexes?”

Byleth and Claude exchanged a glance. “If we do, will you give us endorsements?” asked Claude.

Sothis gave him a withering look. “It’ll take a bit more than just that to earn my approval, kid. I’m the Champion, after all. I can’t hand out endorsements to every trainer who comes asking, even if they’re my sister and her friend. Especially if they’re my sister and her friend. Do you know how that would look?”

“I didn’t know you cared so much about appearances, Sothis.”

“Don’t push your luck, By.” Sothis sighed and sank deeper into her chair, into her cloak. “Whatever. I suppose I can at least take your arguments into consideration. But get Pokedexes first. Otherwise there’s no way I’ll even think about it.”

“That’s great!” Claude leapt to his feet. Scorbunny jumped up into his arms and the two spun around in excitement. “Let’s go to the Research Lab right now!” Both Jeralt and Sothis looked pointedly at the purpling sky. “… Or tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep and a big, hearty breakfast.”

“Honestly,” Sothis scoffed, fighting a smile. She laced her fingers together and shook her head at the delight on Byleth’s face. “I hope you two know what you’re doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out Sothis sometimes strikes a similar pose to Leon, although she puts her arm in front of rather than above her. Dragapults are Dragon and Ghost type Pokemon; very fitting for Sothis, imo.
> 
> Byleth and Claude are twelve because I can’t write them as ten year olds. Frankly I can’t write them very well as twelve-year olds either, so please just pretend they are unusually clever and mature for their age.
> 
> This ended up being a lot of dialogue … I considered writing a battle between Byleth and Claude as well but didn’t know how to adjust “Sobble wipes the floor with Hop’s Scorbunny” without making Claude look as pathetic as Hop did when I wiped the floor with him in the game. No offense, Hop. You did your best.


	2. the slumbering weald

Jeralt kept a handful of Wooloo in a fenced-off field between their house and the nearby woods. This had less to do with his fondness for Wooloo and more to do with the fondness of Wooloo for him. They’d had several heartbroken neighbors bang on their door in the middle of the night because Jeralt had walked by their own Pokemon earlier that day and accidentally enchanted them just by existing.

“Animal magnetism,” Claude’s Uncle Nader said about it once, slapping Jeralt on the arm with joviality.

“Never say that to me again,” Jeralt replied.

One of the younger members of the flock was a small and particularly fluffy creature whom Byleth had nicknamed Softball. When the universe created this particular Wooloo, it had been full of cheer and low on sense. Softball was a happy, cute, sweet little Pokemon. But he was stupid.

Softball tended to end up in bewildering situations. Thus far, he’d been found on rooftops, in other peoples’ flower beds, and in the kitchen sink. One time they’d spent an entire day looking for him, only to find him sleeping in the middle of Byleth’s bedroom, but another time he’d turned up in the tallest tree in Postwick, and it had taken four hours to get him down. How he managed to get into these places largely remained a mystery. Jeralt lived in eternal fear that one day Softball would absentmindedly wander onto a train at Wedgehurst station and vanish from their lives forever.

“That dumb – ugh!” said Jeralt whenever Softball went missing, which was every other week. “I should have just locked him in a cage and been done with it.”

He never did. Softball had the kind of face you could never truly get mad at.

“Byleth!” The morning after Sothis returned home, Claude jumped over the Eisners' fence and headed towards her from across the field. “I rang the doorbell but no one answered. What are you doing out here? Are you ready to go?” He paused. “Why’s the Champion lying in the dirt like that?”

“Sothis isn’t much of a morning person,” Byleth replied. “Sorry Claude, I can’t go with you right now. Dad woke us up right after dawn to look for Softball.”

“No way … he’s gone missing again?”

“Yeah. We looked everywhere. I even ran down to Wedgehurst to see if anyone had seen him but no one had. He could be anywhere, but he’s nowhere!”

Claude shook his head in disbelief. “Of all times to pull this stunt ….”

“You should probably go on ahead. Sothis sent a message to the lab last night so they should be expecting you.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll help you look for him, then we can go together.”

“Are you sure? This might take a while.”

Claude spared the center of the field another glance. “No point in getting that Pokedex if the Champion’s too out of it afterwards to give us the endorsements. Where have you already looked?”

As they paced the length of the field, Byleth told him: the house, the roof, the backyard, the field, the path between Claude’s house and her own, and the path and the fields down along the way to Wedgehurst. Jeralt had gone back to Wedgehurst to “scour it inch by inch with a fine-toothed comb, that empty-headed walking cloud, I’m really going to lock him up this time.” Byleth had returned to their Wooloo field to look for clues. Sothis was sleeping.

Claude picked up a stick to absentmindedly smack the branches hanging over the fence from the trees on the other side. “Maybe we should look in my house next,” he suggested. Softball had only ended up in the Riegan residence once, but as he’d ended up in Claude’s toilet, it had been a particularly memorable experience.

“Maybe,” said Byleth. She paused to lean against the fence with a sigh, and nearly fell over.

The fence was loose. When Byleth straightened, she exchanged a glance with Claude before prodding it with her foot. A section of white wood as long as her arm swung aside easily. When she removed her foot, it swung back as if it had never been broken at all.

“… Dad’s not going to be happy about this.”

Claude squinted into the dark of the trees beyond. “You don’t think ….”

“It was bound to happen eventually,” said Byleth miserably. “I guess we’re just lucky that it didn’t happen before.”

“The woods are off limits,” said Claude in carefully neutral tones. “We’ll get in huge trouble if we go in there, especially without permission.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, then turned and headed for the center of the field.

The Wooloo had gathered in a circle around Sothis, baaing softly, but they parted to let Byleth and Claude through. Byleth crouched by her sister, hesitated, and said, “Soth …?”

Sothis snored.

“We’re going to the Slumbering Weald to look for Softball,” said Byleth. “We’ll stick to the path, and we’ll come back as soon as we find him. Is that okay?”

She tapped her gently on the cheek. Sothis batted her away with a grunt.

“Sothis, is that yes? Can we go?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, just another minute, please.” She turned away from them, wrapping her arms around herself in lieu of a blanket.

Byleth straightened and looked at Claude. He shrugged.

“Okay,” said Byleth. “Well. See you later.”

At the end of the Eisner house’s side of Postwick’s single path was a gate that barred entry into the Slumbering Weald. Jeralt had told Byleth in no uncertain terms to never go in there, but what was a bit of prepubescent rebellion weight against the life of a sweet, innocent Wooloo?

Perhaps concerningly, the fog set in almost as soon as they entered the woods. The dark trees cast long shadows over the path through the mist. Here, sunlight was only a memory. Byleth shivered despite herself.

“Huh,” said Claude. “Let’s find that Wooloo and get this over with as soon as possible.”

“My cousin wandered in here once on a dare when she was a kid,” said Byleth as they walked along. For some reason, she felt compelled to whisper. “By the time anyone was able to find her, she was in a real state.” She giggled nervously. “My uncle didn’t allow her to leave the house without strict adult supervision for years. She’s still mad about all that wasted time.”

Claude giggled too. “What do you think happened to her in there?”

“I don’t know, for the longest time she wouldn’t talk about it. By the time I asked her again last summer, she said she’d forgotten.” Byleth tried for a smirk. It came out trembling. “What, scared, Claude?”

“Only a healthy amount, no need to rub it in.” He walked a little faster. Byleth scrambled to keep up.

The forest was quiet and the air was cold. The world seemed to narrow down to their feet rustling through the grass, their breathing, and their heartbeats. Even the sounds of what must have been Pokemon chirping in the trees or passing between bushes felt distant and muted. Byleth shivered.

“Um, Claude – ”

A high-pitched, burbling tweet sliced through the silence. Something small, dark, and fast streaked across Byleth’s field of vision. There was the sound of furiously beating wings, and the brush of talons across her hair, making her skin crawl. Claude yelled. Byleth took a step back, reaching for her Pokeball.

“Sobble, do something!”

“S-Scorbunny, tackle it quick!”

In the aftermath, two children and their Pokemon stood in silence over a limp Rookidee. It lay on its back in the middle of the path with its wings splayed, and wasn’t moving.

“What have we done,” whispered Claude.

“Did we kill it?” said Byleth. She crouched and poked it with a trembling finger. Softly, Sobble began to cry.

Claude looked about five seconds away from joining in. “I’m too young to go to jail. I had great and glorious plans for my life. What am I going to do? Aunt Judith’s going to kill me.”

The Rookidee twitched. Claude’s mouth snapped shut. Byleth drew back, clutching at her hand.

It shuddered, then hopped nimbly back onto its feet. The relief that washed over Byleth was immeasurable, but so was the unadulterated loathing in the Rookidee’s eyes when it looked at them.

“Um, we’re very sorry,” Byleth said, taken aback by the frostiness of its glare. “We didn’t mean to hurt you. You startled us – uh, not that that’s your fault, of course!” she added. “It was ours, for not paying attention.” Byleth racked her brains for something that might make this okay. “Um, would you like a berry? Pokemon like berries, right?”

“Byleth, do you even have any berries?” Claude hissed.

“No, but don’t you?” she shot back.

“What would I bring berries for? I came over thinking we were just going to make a quick stop at the Research Lab!”

Rookidee trilled coldly, and they shut up. It shook out its wings like a huffy young lord straightening his jacket and fixed them with a disdainful stare. Hostility radiated from its every inch. Byleth was astonished; she had never seen so much murder packed so densely into such a small body before, and she’d grown up with Sothis.

It was … kind of cute. Claude lifted a hand to his mouth to hide a huff of laughter.

“We really are sorry,” said Byleth.

The Rookidee turned its back on them and took off in a flutter of wings, vanishing into the shadowed trees.

Byleth sighed and stood, picking up Sobble and holding her like a teddy bear. Sobble squeaked, feet kicking cheerily in the air. “Let’s get this over with.”

Claude patted her on the shoulder. Scorbunny took the opportunity to leap up and grasp onto his arm, swinging from it a few times before pulling himself onto his shoulder.

“Softball?” said Byleth as they walked. “Softball!”

“Come on, you little dumb thing, where are you?” sighed Claude.

The fog seemed to get denser the deeper into the woods they went. Claude grabbed Byleth by the elbow to keep them from getting separated. Soon they could barely see the sides of the path, and she wondered with a thrill of terror whether they might have walked right off of it without noticing. How long would it take someone to come looking for them if they got lost? What if they never found them?

“Whatever you’re thinking, By, think it a bit quieter,” muttered Claude. “You’re freaking me out here.”

“I’m not doing anything,” she whispered snappishly. The silence had set her nerves on edge. She gritted her teeth.

“Well, don’t do anything better!” Claude paused. “Wait, does that make sense? Don’t not do something … Stop not doing anything so loudly? I’m confu – ”

A howl reverberated through the trees, making them freeze. It was not like anything Byleth had ever heard before. The sound was the hollow of a cave, a stone dropping into freezing water, the echo of a flute across a ravine. It chilled the blood and paralyzed the soul.

Sobble trembled in Byleth’s arms. This close to each other, Claude’s wide green eyes were clear. “Scorbunny,” he said softly, “can you give us some light?”

Scorbunny leapt to the ground and spat out a small ball of fire in front of them, where it was soon swallowed by the mist. Byleth held her breath.

Now, although Byleth would not have gone as far as to say that she was an expert on Pokemon, a side-effect of being the daughter of a former Pokemon trainer and Pokemon doctor, the sister of the Champion, and the niece of a Pokemon Professor, was that she was at least marginally familiar with nearly all of them.

The four-legged, canine creature with the bristling mane that emerged from the fog was predominantly red-furred, with tuffs of blue and white. Though slightly beaten-looking, there was something noble about its heavy gaze. It was not even remotely familiar.

“Byleth,” said Claude.

“I see it, Claude.”

The Pokemon leaned back on its legs to stretch, looking disturbingly as though it was about to pounce, and howled again. The sound made its way into Byleth’s very bones. Her arms went limp; Sobble jumped from them before she could let go entirely and landed safely on the grass beside Scorbunny.

“Byleth,” said Claude again, agitated.

“Maybe if … if we assert our dominance, it won’t hurt us very badly,” Byleth suggested.

Sobble growled. The Pokemon blinked at her placidly.

“It doesn’t look like it’s working.”

“Thank you, Claude, I can see that.”

“Is it just me, or is the fog getting thicker?”

“Claude, are you going to help or not?!”

“Fine, fine. Scorbunny, use Ember again!”

“Why would you do that!” cried Byleth. “Why are you provoking it! What if it decides to atta – oh, it didn’t work.”

“What the hell!” said Claude. “Did it – did it absorb Ember? Did it pass right through it? How did it do that? That’s so interesting! I really wish it wasn’t happening to me right now!”

The Pokemon howled once more. Byleth grimaced and covered her ears.

When the sound faded, the fog had completely taken over the forest. She could barely see her hand in front of her face, much less anything else.

“Claude? Sobble?”

“Byleth!” His voice was far away. “Where are you?”

Byleth spun around and blinked hard, as though it would help clear the fog away. When she opened her eyes, she was suddenly dizzy – but the fog had gone. She could see the trees around them now, with clarity.

She sat up slowly, which was strange, because she was pretty sure she’d been standing up just a moment before. Sobble bumped her head against her side and made wet noises. Byleth patted her absentmindedly on the head and returned her to her pokeball.

“Aaaaghueh.” Claude and Scorbunny were a few feet away. Claude was rubbing at his head. “Byleth? What … just happened?”

“Um,” said Byleth. She got to her feet. “I’m … not sure. But. I think we should go home.”

“… Yeah.” Claude glanced around warily. “We should probably tell someone about what we saw before we keep looking for Softball. It’ll be … a strategic retreat.” He swallowed. “Um, you technically told Sothis where we were going, right? She seems less strict than your dad, so we can’t be in too much trouble.”

Byleth opened her mouth to tell Claude that Sothis was as empty in patience for others’ lack of common sense and self-preservation as she was in modesty, but made up for both with an abundance of temper, before she thought better of it. He’d find out soon enough. No need to worry him with anticipation for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel a little more confident with writing claude's voice than i did the previous chapter, but not by much. for some reason jeralt continues to be the easiest voice for me, and he didn't even physically appear in this chapter.


	3. flayn

They ran into Sothis halfway home.

“Byleth! Claude! You utter morons!”

The Champion of Galar stormed down towards them in a baggy T-shirt and pajama shorts, feet stuck sockless into worn-out running shoes. Mud streaked her arms and face and there was Wooloo fluff tangled in her wild green hair. Her eyes blazed.

Sothis smacked Byleth in the shoulder. She whined in protest and recoiled, bumping into Claude, who’d ducked behind her at the sight of the Champion. “Stupid kids! What were you thinking, wandering off into the Slumbering Weald on your own? Do the words ‘off-limits’ mean nothing to you? Do you think this is some sort of game, where you can go around and do whatever you please? I’ve been worried sick!”

“Sorry, Miss Champion …”

“Sorry, Sothis.”

She folded her arms and huffed. “If you wanted to come in here to look for that Wooloo, you should have just waited for me to wake up. Wake up fully,” she added, giving them vicious looks. “What’s the sense in looking for someone lost if you’re just going to get lost yourselves? I found Softball, by the way, no thanks to the two of you.”

“Are you going to tell Dad on us?”

She sneered. “Huh! Wouldn’t you like to know. Sit there and squirm for all I care.”

They met up with Sothis’s Dragapult only a little ways ahead of them on the path. He had his tail wrapped around the roundness of a certain fluffy Pokemon, who was kicking his legs in the air as though he was swimming.

“Softball!” Byleth ran up to it to pat in in the head. The Wooloo baaed happily. “Where have you been? We’ve been so worried! Don’t run off anymore, okay?”

“Huh!” said Sothis again. Claude laughed, but quieted when she swivelled around towards him.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, great and glorious Champion, you’re still willing to give us endorsements, right? I mean, sure, we were reckless, but weren’t we pretty brave as well?”

“Idiotic is more like it,” she snapped.

“Come on, Sothis,” said Byleth, reaching out to grasp her by the hand. She then ruined the effect by immediately letting go, because Sothis’s hand was muddy and kind of gross. She wiped herself discretely against her pants. Her sister looked unimpressed. “We knew Softball would be in here ‘cause we found a broken part of the fence, but you wouldn’t have known it was broken just by looking at it. If we hadn’t gone into the woods, then you wouldn’t have come after us, and Softball might have been lost forever. So didn’t it all work out in the end?”

“Nice try.” Sothis flicked Byleth in the forehead. “Like I said, wake me up next time. Or failing that, wait for me to wake up. There are some weird Pokemon in these woods, wild ones who might not have seen humans for years at a time if at all. I don’t want you two getting hurt.”

Something in their faces must have betrayed them because Sothis’s eyes narrowed and she said, “Alright, spit it out. What did you guys do?”

Claude and Byleth informed her of their encounter with the mysterious Pokemon. Sothis’s brow furrowed when they spoke of the unusual fog and the way Claude’s attack had passed through it like it was nothing. “Perhaps the Pokemon had illusory powers?” she suggested.

“Do you know what kind of Pokemon it might have been?”

Sothis hesitated. “Well … I’m not sure. A mysterious Pokemon livingin the Slumbering Weald … something about it sounds familiar, but I … can’t quite place where I could have heard about such a thing. I wouldn’t worry much, though. What’s important is that you two are safe and that you don’t run off so thoughtlessly again. Is that understood?”

They emerged out of the woods and back into warm daylight. Byleth lifted her hand to shield her eyes as they headed for the Eisner house. Dragapult dropped Softball on the porch, and the Wooloo immediately began to wander in the direction of the rose bushes. Byleth grabbed him by the wool on his back to stop him.

“Yes, Sothis,” they chorused.

“Good.” They paused in front of the door. “I’m going upstairs to shower and change. Dad should be in the living room. Byleth, bring Softball to him and get him to fix that damned fence. Let him know you’re going to Wedgehurst so he doesn’t worry.” Her eyes flashed. “I’ll refrain from telling him that you deliberately wandered into the woods without me, for now. Meet me at uncle’s house when the two of you have gotten your Pokedexes.”

She strode inside with a toss of her hair over her shoulders and Dragapult by her side. Byleth grabbed the porch door before it could slam shut behind her.

“Oh man,” she said. “She’s never going to let this one go.”

“I’ll wait for you out here,” said Claude.

Jeralt was indeed in the living room, sitting on the couch with Munchlax curled up beside him. He was looking at a picture frame dwarfed by his hands, but he set it down on the coffee table when he saw Byleth and Softball.

“You little rascal,” he sighed as Softball bounded up to him, eagerly bumping his head against his knee. “What sort of trouble did you get into this time, hmm?”

“Part of the fence is broken,” said Byleth. “Claude, Sothis, and I found him in the Slumbering Weald. Um, don’t worry, we didn’t go too far in.”

Jeralt frowned. “The woods? That’s concerning. I’ll retest the entire fence line. There are strange Pokemon in that place. I don’t want Softball running in there again.” He eyed her. “But you kids are alright?”

“Yeah, nothing happened to us,” Byleth lied. “And Sothis came with us, so ….”

“Hmm.” Jeralt looked a little skeptical, but didn’t push it. “I assume you’ll be off to get your Pokedexes now?”

Byleth nodded. Jeralt stood, lifted Softball, tucked him under his arm, and said, “I have something to give you.”

He walked past her. Byleth spared the photograph on the coffee table a glance. It was one of her parents’ wedding photos.

She followed him upstairs. It turned out that while she had been gone, Jeralt had left a bag for her in her room. It was of brown faded leather, clearly old and well-worn but still sturdy. He set Softball down to pick it up and hand it to her.

“This was your mother’s. I’ve been meaning to give it to you for some time now. I put some food and money in there to see you on your way, and some cookies for Flayn if you run into her. Buy some potions or something in Wedgehurst before you set off. Your sister’s doing you a big favour by enrolling you in the Gym Challenge so make sure to take care of yourself and that Sobble, alright?”

Byleth felt her eyes prickle. She pulled her arms into the straps, sniffled, and smiled. “Sothis didn’t say she was gonna give us the endorsement for sure.”

Jeralt ruffled her hair. “We both know that girl’s a big softie deep down. All bark and no bite.” He paused. “Well, maybe a little bite. But she’s probably already decided to give it to you, and that Riegan boy, too. After all, you’re both older than she was when she did her first Gym Challenge. And a little more mature, frankly.”

Down the hall, they could hear the sound of the shower running. Byleth laughed a little. “Really? Sothis doesn’t seem to think so.”

Softball padded over to her bed, jumped up with a happy bleat, and settled down to sleep. Byleth could have grimaced; his feet were still muddy from their excursion to the woods. Oh, well. She didn’t think she’d be sleeping at home for a while.

“You’re a bit of a menace, but so was Sothis. For a long time we didn’t know if we were going to have another kid, so Sitri and I ended up spoiling her a bit. But even after you were born, your sister was a really unbearable child.” Jeralt’s lips twitched. “Enough to put even that Claude kid to shame. The scrapes that she got into … it was actually a relief when she started Pokemon training and found another outlet for her energy.”

Byleth hugged him. “I love you, Dad.”

He patted her on the back. “I love you too, kiddo. I’m guessing you’ll want to get started on the competition as soon as Sothis gives you the okay, so I don’t expect to see you again for a while, but don’t hesitate to check in every now and then, yeah? And let me know if Rhea gives you any trouble. I’ll make the trip to Wyndon to give her a personal talking to.”

“You can’t scold the Chairwoman, Dad,” said Byleth, voice muffled into his shirt. “She’s the Chairwoman. We wouldn’t have the current championship without her.”

“Tell that to your sister.”

The Pokemon Research Lab was a pretty purple building on the south side of Wedgehurst. Twisting ivy covered its exterior, and the windows all had flower beds. Ever since Byleth’s cousin Flayn had started working there as an assistant a few years ago, the lab had started to look less like a place for studying Pokemon and more like one for studying flora. Flayn claimed it was only for aesthetic purposes, though.

The interior was only marginally less green than its exterior. Potted plants had been tucked into every corner, and there appeared to be a small, tall greenhouse between walls of books at the back of the lab. But the greenest thing of all was the girl standing on the overhanging platform. Her mouth stretched out into a brilliant grin when she saw them come in.

“If it isn’t Claude Riegan, and my dear cousin Byleth! It is so very good to see you two again. What brings you to our humble little lab?”

Flayn descended the stairs of the platform to meet them on the ground floor. Despite their similarities in age and hair color, she and Sothis did not look much alike. While Sothis had bloomed into a tall, angular young woman with more sharp edges than curves, Flayn had never been able to shed her own soft face, wide eyes, and delicate stature, which left her looking younger than she actually was.

Following behind her was Axew, a Pokemon that was green AND a dragon type. Their family really was thematically consistent with their Pokemon.

“Hey Flayn,” said Byleth. “We’re here for the Pokedexes. Um, where’s Uncle Seteth? Sothis said she’d told him we’d be coming.”

“Oh.” Flayn blinked at them and then lifted her hands in front of her, fingers curled into fists, and fists curled towards her. It was a gesture she made when she was contemplative or feeling embarassed, and her smile turned sheepish. “Is Sothis back already? Yes … it’s very possible that Father sent me an email about something like that. I haven’t been checking his messages recently, you see.”

Byleth and Claude exchanged a glance. “Don’t you two live together?” said Claude. “Why do you need to send each other emails?”

“We maaay … have had a slight disagreement about certain things, nothing you need to worry about.” Flayn coughed. “At any rate, I’ve been camping out here in the lab. To prove my independence. Father still hasn’t apologized, but he’s been respectful about my decision, I think. I haven’t seen hair or hide of anything in, um, quite a while.”

“Isn’t this uncle’s lab, though?” said Byleth. “Is he allowed to be just … kicked out?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I made sure to move everything important back to the house before I left,” said Flayn confidently. “And he has digital copies of all these books – Aunt Rhea forced him to scan them a few years ago, just in case. No one can escape the onward march of technology forever!” she said cheerfully. “Isn’t it much safer this way? Now the contents of all these books are safe even if something dreadful happens, like a fire, or if they – perish the thought – get stolen.”

“Sothis told us to meet us her at uncle’s house after we got our Pokedexes. Want to come with us?”

Flayn hummed. “Thank you for letting me know, but I think I’ll be just fine right here for now. Until Father recognizes my talents in Pokemon and that I am an adult, and finally makes me his official research assistant instead of just a glorified errand girl, my isolation will be ongoing. Now, where are your Rotom phones? I’ll set up your Pokedexes for you.”

Their phones flew out of her pocket and towards her. While Flayn set them up with the Pokedex app, Claude said, “Flayn, you participated in the championship years ago as well, right? What was it like?”

“You want to know about my Gym Challenge? Truth be told, it was somewhat terrifying!” Flayn shook her head. “Sothis took to it like a fish to water, and certainly I enjoyed battling in small doses. I could hold my own against most trainers that weren’t her, at any rate. But I soon discovered that I liked learning about Pokemon more than I did training them. And Father ….” She scowled.

“Flayn ran away to join the competition without telling anybody except my sister,” Byleth told him. “Dad says that Uncle Seteth ended up chasing her across the entire region trying to get her to come home.”

Claude looked at Flayn in disbelief. “I had no idea.”

“Is it really so surprising?” said Flayn, looking slightly put out. “I thought the entire town already knew how overprotective he can be. Honestly, go missing once for a few days as a child and he’ll never let you live it down ….”

She handed them back their Rotom phones.

“By the way, Dad baked some cookies for you.” Byleth reached into her bag and took out a little tin box. Flayn took it with delight.

“How very kind of him! I’ll be sure to thank him the next time I see him.” She lifted the lid. “Ah, they’re fish-shaped! Would you two like one before you go?”

They ate the cookies on the path away from the research lab. Byleth said, “Dad gave me some money before I left. I’m going to go to the store and buy some supplies. You coming?”

“It’s delay after delay with you, isn’t it?” Claude heaved a sigh. “It’s a bit of a walk to the Professor’s. Much as I hate to leave you by yourself, I think I’m going to go on ahead. If our glorious Champion is there already, maybe I can continue to try to persuade her to give us the endorsements.”

“See you there, then. And good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters’ Pokemon that we know of so far:  
> Byleth has a Sobble (water type, basically a lizard).  
> Sothis has a Dragapult (dragon and ghost type) that follows her around out of his Pokeball the same way Charizard follows Leon in the game, and also a Grookey (grass type, basically a monkey).  
> Claude has a Scorbunny (fire type, and also a rabbit), as well as a Hoothoot (normal and flying type, an owl) that hasn’t shown up yet.  
> Jeralt has a Munchlax (normal type) and an unknown number of Wooloo (normal type), including Softball.  
> Flayn has an Axew (dragon type). I considered giving her a water type Pokemon instead because … fish … but Axew felt like the right one for her in my heart.
> 
> Dragapult is a pretty big Pokemon, but Sobble, Grookey, Scorbunny, Munchlax, and Axew are about stuffed animal sized. Wooloo is bigger than that but smaller than a real sheep.
> 
> My pace for this fic will probably slow down a bit starting now, but I'll still try to update every few days or so.


	4. the professor's house

The professor’s house was a wide, pretty building across a little bridge over a burbling stream. It was less green than the research lab but even more purple, and located so far from Wedgehurst that it was only nominally a part of the town. Seteth and Flayn had moved there from Wyndon shortly after Sothis had become champion, ostensibly because the peaceful countryside would be amenable to his research. Jeralt had muttered something about being sent by Rhea to keep an eye on them, seeing as Seteth still reported directly to her, but Byleth figured that was probably paranoia speaking.

Claude was already there when Byleth arrived, and he lifted his hand in greeting. He, Sothis, and Seteth were sitting at a round metal table in front of the house, having tea. Sothis was back in her Champion’s cape and her long hair, still frizzy from her recent shower, was even more voluminous than usual.

“Little sister.” Sothis was sprawled out along her chair in a slouch, one arm hanging over the back, legs kicked out wide. Beside her, Claude was attempting a similar air of nonchalance, while Seteth sat straight-backed and scowling. “Took you long enough to get here. How are you and Sobble getting along?”

“Great.” When Byleth approached, Sothis poured out a cup of tea. She slid it across the table to her. It smelt faintly of ginger.

Byleth accepted it gratefully. The walk had been long and she’d neglected to bring a water bottle. “Good morning Uncle Seteth. I ran into Flayn at the research lab.”

Seteth only sighed. “It’s early afternoon already, Byleth. And yes, young Mr Riegan told me about it.”

“Flayn’s still mad at you.”

“Yes,” said Seteth gloomily, “well. She hasn’t exactly been … effusive in her responses to my emails lately, when she bothers to respond at all. I was beginning to think something happened.”

“Maybe you should just go talk to her yourself,” Sothis suggested. “Knowing Flayn, she’s missing you as well.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Sothis. We exchanged some … harsh words, before we last parted.” Seteth sighed and raised his tea to his lips. When he lowered it again, he said, “Perhaps she was right. I have hardly been giving her the independence that she so desperately wants. She was so accident-prone as a child! It’s hard to come out of the habit of protectiveness.”

Claude met Byleth’s eye. He’s been going on about this for a while, his expression told her. This isn’t what I came here for. I am uncomfortable and very bored.

“Right, right, but you have to remember, Flayn is an adult,” said Sothis, patting the professor’s arm. She managed to sound both scolding and soothing at the same time. “You have to let her make her own decisions sooner rather than later, or else she’s going to resent you forever.”

At Seteth’s horrified expression, Byleth quickly said, “Sothis is exaggerating, Flayn wouldn’t hate you. I think she’s just upset because … someone she respects so much … isn’t showing her the same respect in return?”

Sothis gave her a thumbs up that only she could see, but Seteth looked doubtful. “I suppose ….”

Claude coughed pointedly. “So … Champion Sothis. Given any thought to those endorsements?”

Sothis put her elbow on the table and her hand in her chin. A light breeze swept by the house, briefly blowing back her hair and making Byleth shiver despite the warmth of the day.

“Confident, are you?” Her voice was snide. “But confidence means nothing if it isn’t backed by experience.”

“I may not have battled formally before,” said Claude defensively, “but Hoothoot and I practiced a lot of moves together, so I have some prior experience. And Scorbunny and I have been working really hard as well!”

“Me too, Sothis!” Byleth added, laying her palms flat against the table and leaning forward. “Sobble and I had to fend off a lot of Pokemon on the way here, but we’ve been doing very well. Not one of them has been difficult so far!” Except for a particularly vicious Rookidee who’d bypassed Sobble entirely to tear at Byleth’s hair, but it had only taken one hit from Sobble’s Water Gun before it had left with a furious parting hiss.

“Arrogant,” Sothis murmured. The hypocrisy of it actually made Byleth’s mouth drop open, but made her sister laugh a little.

Claude leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. “Arrogant if we do well, unprepared if we don’t. There’s just no winning with you, is there, Champion?”

Sothis flashed him a sharp look. “If there was any winning against me then I wouldn’t be Galar’s unbeatable Champion,” she retorted, “but if you must know, I have been giving thought to your endorsements.” Her sudden smile stretched wide and wicked. “I suppose you two are lucky I’m in such a generous mood. I’ll give you the endorsements – provided you prove to me your skills in a Pokemon battle first.”

Claude straightened in his seat. He and Byleth exchanged a glance. “You want us to battle each other?” he said.

“Not exactly.”

There was a dark purple messenger back slung over the back of her chair. Sothis reached into it, rummaged, and withdrew a pokeball that she tossed onto the grass. In a flash of light appeared a small green and white Pokemon. It looked up at them – or rather, Byleth thought it did. Since she could not see its eyes, she had to assume based on the upwards tilt of its head.

Byleth withdrew her phone and scanned the Pokemon with her Pokedex. Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon. A Psychic and Fairy type. If its horns capture the warm feelings of people or Pokemon, its body warms up slightly.

“It’s so cute!” exclaimed Claude, leaning forward for a better look.

Ralts made a noise like a motorcycle purring before latching onto Sothis’s leg with slender, handless arms.

Sothis patted its head. “Ralts is the last Pokemon I picked up to train before Rhea gave me Grookey. I’ve only had her for about a week, but you’d be surprised at how quickly she’s grown.” Her tone was fond.

“She’s green,” said Byleth.

Sothis ignored her. “Here are the rules. The two of you, against me. I’ll be using Raltz. You can each use one Pokemon of your own. Whichever side entirely faints first loses. Uncle Seteth, will you judge?”

He looked put out. “I suppose … I don’t actually have anything better to do at the moment ….”

“We’re going to be fighting the Champion?” Claude grabbed the armrests of his chair, his green eyes gleaming with excitement. “No take backs.”

Lose to the Champion, more like it. Byleth – who had grown up under Sothis’s headlocks and pillow fights and unrepentant laughter and merciless tickling – thought it better to pray for mercy. She clasped her hands together and said, futilely, “You’ll go easy on us, right?”

Sothis picked up Ralts and settled her in her lap, like other people did with their cats or their toddlers. The picture they posed together would have been incredibly cute, if it weren’t for the unnecessarily self-satisfied cut of Sothis’s eyes and the slightly sadistic curve of her lips.

She tenderly stroked the top of Ralts’ head, which did not improve her supervillain image. “Not a chance.”

In the aftermath, Sothis handed them both Max Revives and white envelopes with red seals.

“You two did well,” she said. Ralts made a sound that might have been agreement or might have been trash talk. It was a bit difficult to tell. “I look forward to a rematch at the Challenge’s end.”

“But we lost,” said Byleth blankly. Cradled in her lap, Sobble made a pitiful noise.

“You annihilated us,” said Claude, sounding thrilled.

Sothis’s gaze immediately went from motherly to withering. The return of her disdain was comforting in its familiarity. “It was obvious that would happen from the start! Did you two really think you were going to win against me? Even if I am using a Pokemon I only recently teamed up with, I’m still Galar’s Champion, and far beyond the reaches of the likes of two children who only started training yesterday!”

“So you set us up to fail? Wait, is this some kind of underhanded mentoring thing, like in the movies? Where the wise old teacher passes on life lessons to their students in eccentric and unexpected ways?”

“Who’re you calling old! I’m only twenty-one, I have an entire lifetime before me!” She huffed. “I’m teacher to no one’s brat. The battle was only so you could show me how much progress you’ve made so far. And the two of you … need a lot of polish, frankly, but I’ve seen worse. At the very least, it’s clear that you have a lot of potential.”

Byleth hugged her. Sothis made a noise that was half surprise and half irritation, but didn’t push her away.

“Honestly,” she sniffed. “The two of you are so certain I’m doing you a huge favour. The Gym Challenge is such a tedious pain, I’m sure the two of you still don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“Thanks, Sothis,” said Byleth, pulling away. “I won’t disappoint you, I promise.”

Her sister offered her a brief and rare sincere smile. “The two of you fought brilliantly for trainers so new. Take this loss as an opportunity to learn and get stronger next time. Work hard and maybe, one day, you’ll become the first rivals to actually make me sweat.”

“I’m going to rub it in to everyone that I was trained by the Champion herself,” said Claude gleefully.

Sothis’s gentle expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “Don’t you dare! I did no such thing!”

Claude descended into a solemn bow. “I will hold your wisdom in my heart forevermore, O Great and Powerful Teacher. This humble student will do his best not to disappoint you either.”

“Huh!” Sothis tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I make it a point not to participate in nepotism, but it seems as though you’ve left me no choice but to root for my sister against you after all.”

In probable testament to his loneliness, Seteth offered them food and a place to stay for the night. Weary and hungry from the morning’s events, Byleth and Claude agreed.

Between mouthfuls of Daphnel stew, Claude bombarded the professor with questions – how long he’d been a professor, what made him decide to pursue this career, why he moved from to Wedgehurst, whether he liked it better than Wyndon, what Wyndon was like, what Chairwoman Rhea had been like when they’d been working together, who he thought was most likely to win this year’s championship, what type of Pokemon was his favourite, etc. Seteth answered him as best as he could, though his expression grew increasingly hunted as the interrogation went on with little sign of stopping.

Eventually, Byleth elbowed Claude and said, “Stop bothering my uncle so much. If you want to know something, you can just ask me.”

“You’re not curious as well, Byleth? You said you don’t know a lot about the professor either, even though he’s your uncle. Isn’t that sort of strange, especially since the two of you live so close to one another?”

Seteth coughed self-consciously into his fist. “Sitri and Jeralt were insistent on having as little to do with the family business as possible. Although I’ve ceased working as part of the management of Macro Cosmos for many years now, my Pokemon research is funded by the company and I still report directly to Rhea.”

“Would your job really make such a difference? Didn’t you and Byleth’s mom grow up together?” said Claude, frowning.

“… Not exactly. I was much older than Sitri, and we all led busy lives. While she was growing up, I was travelling other regions, and shortly after I returned to Galar to work officially for Macro Cosmos, she met Jeralt and they were going off on their own adventures. I never knew her as well as Rhea did. But we kept in touch,” he said, a touch defensively. “We video called at least twice a month.”

“I wonder why your parents hated Macro Cosmos so much,” said Claude to Byleth.

“Kid, do you know what tact is?” said Sothis, though she looked more amused than offended.

“I don’t think they hated it,” said Byleth, ignoring Sothis’s mumbled, “No, they definitely hated it.” “They’re just not very … businessey people, is all.”

“Strange to think that your family is basically behind Galar’s entire Gym Challenge,” Claude remarked. “I know Macro Cosmos didn’t invent the Galar League, but they’re basically responsible for hosting it now, right?”

“Ah, that would be where my research comes in, I’m afraid,” said Seteth. “Macro Cosmos became inseparable from the Challenge only when Dynamaxing did. Before then, the company was merely one sponsor of the League amongst any.”

Seteth (and by extension, Flayn) studied Dynamaxing, the phenomenon in which Pokemon transformed into stronger and much larger versions of themselves. The process was only possible in certain places known as Power Spots, though the exact specifics of the whole thing were still largely unknown. Nonetheless, Dynamaxing had been a staple part of the Galar Gym Challenge for as long as Byleth could remember, at least as long as Sothis had been Champion.

“My late wife and I figured out how to stabilize Galar’s Power Spots about twenty years ago,” said Seteth, setting his fork down. “Afterwards, Chairwoman Rhea integrated them into the Pokemon trainer championship.”

Claude’s eyes were bright was curiosity. “So, the gyms were built on the Power Spots?”

“Sort of. Many of Galar’s gyms were near or on top of the Spots already. Random Dynamaxing was not exactly common before then, but it still happened concerningly enough. Strong Pokemon trainers were needed to be able to deal with the problem if it arose, so it made sense for the to settle their gyms there.”

Sothis said, “The stabilization of the Power Spots mostly just further legitimized many of the gyms already on top of them. There were exceptions, of course. The Ballonlea gym was deliberately built on a Power Spot, and relatively recently. The town that has sprouted up around it is small for a gym town, but that’s because it’s so young.”

“And also because it’s a bit out of the way,” said Seteth, frowning. “Many people get lost in the woods of Glimwood Tangle and never make it to Ballonlea. I really don’t know what Rhea was thinking, deciding to put a gym over there.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree,” sniffed Sothis. “Glimwood Tangle is the perfect opportunity for trainers to prove their mettle. What use is an adventurer without a sense of direction? Besides, it’s perfectly safe. Rhea stations members of Macro Cosmos about Glimwood during the championship,” she explained to Byleth and Claude, “so hardly anyone ever goes missing.”

“Hardly anyone is still more people than should be going missing!” argued Seteth. “I cannot condone its location for such a reason.”

Sothis twirled her fork between her fingers and smirked. “You’re just upset because you got lost in there ages ago that one time you were looking for Flayn.”

He spluttered. “I did not – I was not lost! I had a Corviknight with me, I could have left whenever I wanted.”

“Flayn has a surprisingly good sense of direction,” Sothis told Claude and Byleth. “I basically just bulldozed my way straight through that forest but she actually stuck to that confusingly winding path and she still beat me to Ballonlea. She likely gets it from her mother.”

Seteth looked torn between anxious irritation and pride. “May I remind you that Flayn shouldn’t have been participating in the championship that year in the first place? She did not have parental permission.”

“She made it all the way to the second round of the Champion Cup,” said Sothis, expression warm with nostalgia, “even though she was super nervous under all the attention, and Seteth’s obvious meltdown in the stands wasn’t helping. He was so public about it that if she had made Champion probably no one would have even accused her of nepotism because it was so obvious Macro Cosmos hadn’t approved of her original enrollment, even though Chairwoman Rhea agreed to allow it when she found out. Ah, good times.”

Claude laughed. “I’m so glad I don’t have a strict family. Even Aunt Judith practically kicked me out of the house when I told her I was going to join the Galar League.”

“She’s probably just glad she doesn’t have to keep you out of trouble for a while,” said Byleth.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Claude cheerfully. “I guess I’m Macro Cosmos’s problem for now.”

Sothis snorted. “Please. Lots of trainers enter the League every year and hardly any of them ever get into any trouble. You really think you small town kids are going to be any different?”

“You’re also a small town kid, Sothis,” said Byleth, inclining her head and smiling.

“Right, and look at how boring my life is now. I haven’t lost a single match since I became Champion! The gym challenge isn’t even a challenge for me anymore.”

“Spoken like a true scion of Macro Cosmos,” remarked Seteth disapprovingly. “You’re in a very privileged position, Sothis. You could treat your job with a little more respect.”

“Don’t get on my case as well, Uncle Seteth. I don’t mind being called on to deal with problems across the region,” she said, frowning, “but I could do without the cameras and the advertising.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how many chapters will i complete before i can no longer dodge writing an actual Pokemon battle?


	5. train

Sothis had already departed by the time Byleth and Claude woke up the next morning. Before they set out themselves, Seteth gave them both thick white bracelets and told them they were Dynamax bands. “Now you can Dynamax your Pokemon in Power Spots,” he said. “Trust me, you’ll need to if you’re planning on going up against the Gym Leaders and your sister. Don’t lose or break them, I’m not going to give you another.”

He paused, and then said, “I called Flayn last night. She’s expressed an interest in investigating the Power Spots. She wants to … reacquaint herself with the region she hasn’t explored since her first championship. Get to know Galar again, this time with my approval, if not my permission.” He cleared his throat. “Because she doesn’t need my permission. She’s an adult who can make her own decisions.”

Byleth and Claude exchanged a surprised look. “Oh!” said Byleth. “Great.”

“She’s not participating in the League but she’ll be meandering along the same path and visiting much of the same people, so you’ll most likely run into her. Anyways, good luck on the championship. I expect the entire town will be eagerly following your progress from home, myself included.”

“Thanks for everything, Uncle Seteth,” said Byleth. “And don’t worry, if I meet up with Flayn, I’ll make sure she has fun.”

“… Don’t trouble yourself excessively.”

“I wonder if Flayn will agree to battle me,” wondered Claude. “She’s a pretty strong Pokemon trainer, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think she actually likes battling much,” said Byleth. “She does practice rounds with Sothis sometimes, but … very rarely, ‘cause she always lost so Sothis got bored of challenging her. But my sister’s the only one who can persuade her to battle at all.”

“Maybe if I surprise her from behind ….”

“Please don’t attack my daughter,” said Seteth.

The Gym Challenge began in the city of Motostoke, across the Southern Wild Area from Wedgehurst. Without a Corviknight, the only way to get there was to take the train from Wedgehurst station. It was much less crowded there than it had been two days ago when Sothis had come home, though many of Claude and Byleth’s neighbours waved to them and wished them luck as they came down the main road of Wedgehurst, clearly aware that they intended to partake in the championship.

Judith was waiting for them there when they arrived. She stood from one of the plastic chairs inside the station, rolled up her magazine and tucked it into her belt. There were two rolls of what Byleth recognized as highly compacted camping gear slung over her shoulders, one blue and one yellow.

“Aunt Judith!” Claude made his way over, Byleth following close behind him. “Miss me already? It’s only been a day. How flattering.”

He fanned his face with his hand, feigning a swoon that had Byleth giggling and gripping his shoulders to steady him. Judith untucked her magazine again to smack him on the head with it.

“I’d congratulate you on getting an endorsement from the Champion but I’m afraid your overinflated ego might pop from it. Don’t get too carried away out there, boy.” She handed him the yellow roll, and Byleth the blue one. “Nardel, Jeralt and I prepared these for you kids. They’ll be useful if something happens and you need shelter. Gym Challenges have a tendency to throw its competitors into places of nowhere to wander. I don’t know how those prissy rich kids from the big cities survive it, to be honest. Anyways, try not to perish under the elements.”

“Aww, Aunt Judith, you do care! And please don’t call me boy, I’m a man now.”

“You’re a brat is what you are.” She turned to Byleth, and her tone became slightly apologetic. “Jeralt wanted to be here but he’s busy rebuilding his entire fence or something. He told me to wish you good luck.”

“It’s alright, we already said our goodbyes.” Byleth tucked the camping gear into her bag. “Tell him thank you.”

“Is there a knife in here?” Claude gave his own gear a little shake. “I asked Uncle Nader for a knife.”

“There’s a pocket knife in there. Use it to cut fruit only.”

Claude looked up at her, offended. “Obviously! What else would I have used it for? To stab someone? When have I ever stabbed someone, Aunt Judith?”

“You stabbed yourself when you were ten, if I recall, after insisting multiple times that you wouldn’t.”

“I dropped that knife while cutting cake, it was an accident! Are you ever going to let that go?”

“You needed stitches,” said Judith. “Nardel had to carry you to the hospital.”

“I remember that. You were crying a lot. Do you still have the scar?” said Byleth, peering down at his feet as if she could see through his shoe for it.

Claude’s face burned. “I did not cry and no I do not!”

“But I remember you – ”

“Oh, is that the train I hear? We’d better get a move on in case it leaves without us!” Claude hurried for the gates.

“I don’t believe that boy remembered to buy train tickets,” said Judith, looking after him. She sighed and withdrew two slightly crumpled, blue slips of paper from her pants pocket. “Here you are, kid. Take care of yourselves and your Pokemon out there, alright?”

“Thanks, and we’ll do our best, Ms. Daphnel. Wish us luck!”

With one final wave, Byleth went to catch up to Claude at the gates where he was standing sheepishly in front of a bemused station guard. She handed one of the tickets to him wordlessly.

After about seven minutes of waiting, the next train to Motostoke pulled into the station. Claude kept on an ongoing chatter about what kind of sights they would be seeing, which gym leader they’d be expected to challenge first, and how weird it would be to be on live television. “Just imagine it!” he said as they climbed aboard the train and found seats across from each other. “After all these years of watching the League, we’re finally going to be on the other side of the screen, and other people are going to be cheering us on.”

Byleth imagined it, but the idea of all that scrutiny gave her heart an uneasy squeeze. “I dunno, it’s a lot of pressure. I don’t want to mess up in front of everyone like that.”

“I guess,” Claude allowed after a moment, though he didn’t look very worried himself. “Oh, but how cool would it be for my mom and dad to come back from their trip and find out I made Champion while they were gone?”

As Claude gazed out the window, eagerly drinking up the sights passing by, Byleth pulled out her phone to do some research on their next destination.

“It says here that the city of Motostoke isn’t as big as the capital of Wyndon,” she said thoughtfully, “but it’s still pretty popular because it’s surrounded by the Wild Area. So a lot of people visit the city for a bit of sightseeing before they go camping. There are tons of Pokemon and Power Spots in the Wild Area, but supposedly it’s easy to get lost in if you’re not already familiar with it.”

“That sounds like it could be an adventure,” acknowledged Claude. “My parents and my aunt and uncle used to go camping there all the time. Maybe we should check the place out if we have time, after the opening ceremony. It could be a good place to train.”

“Do you know what other Pokemon you’re going to add to your team?”

“Eh, I’ll figure it out as I go along! But you should probably think of building up your team yourself, By.” He grinned. “As much as it would be fun to watch, I dunno if you’d be able to get very far through the championship with only Sobble.”

The windows went dark as they passed through a tunnel. Byleth could just barely make out Claude’s face from the dim glow of the lights along the edge of the floor of the train. When the train emerged back into sunlight, they exchanged looks of excitement.

“Next stop, Motostoke Station!” he cheered.

But the next stop turned out to be Wild Area Station.

“Did Aunt Judith give us the wrong tickets?” Claude wondered, “or did we just get on the wrong train by accident?”

Byleth glanced about. All around the station, disgruntled passengers were murmuring to themselves or arguing with the station workers.

One of them, a blue-uniformed middle-aged man with red hair and a stern face, said to them, “No, you got on the right one. Unfortunately, the train had to make a detour. A flock of Wooloo have blocked the track to Motostoke.”

“… Have you considered,” said Byleth, “building some fencing, maybe?”

“It’s a bit late for that,” replied the station worker.

Clearly. But Byleth wasn’t completely devoid of sympathy; she knew firsthand how troublesome Wooloo could get, after all. “When do you think the track will be cleared?” she asked.

“We can’t say for sure. But don’t worry, we’ll be making accommodations for passengers in case nothing is resolved until tomorrow.”

“That sucks, but it’s not too bad,” Byleth said to Claude. “We’ll still have plenty of time to register for the Gym Challenge before the ceremony begins.”

“So we could just wait for the tracks to clear,” he agreed. “Or.”

“Or?”

“Or … we could make our way there through the Wild Area ourselves.”

He waggled his eyebrows. Byleth frowned. “And get horribly lost and possibly miss the entire championship? I don’t know ….”

“Come on, it’ll be fun! What was that thing the Champion said about proving a trainer’s mettle with their sense of direction? Wouldn’t we be following the spirit of her teachings?”

“I’m not sure that you should role model yourself this much after my sister,” said Byleth wryly. “She’s always been too talented to need to be too responsible. My dad says so all the time. And I’m not sure she meant we should just wander into the Wild Area before we even get our first gym badge. But we can check out what it looks like from here, at least, since we have the time.”

It was only a few steps down from the train station to the edge of the Wild Area. It stretched out before them as a shallow valley peppered with trees, shimmering ponds, and lakes reflecting the blue of the sky. Despite its vast size, what must have been Motostoke was clearly visible on the other side. Towering skyscrapers peeked out over a looming wall, and the huge staircase leading out of the Wild Area and into the city was distinct.

“Huh,” said Byleth after a solemn moment in which she and Claude absorbed the sights. “Maybe we won’t get lost after all? Motostoke is pretty hard to miss.”

“I think my mom told me once that the Wild Area has lots of nooks and crannies, and sometimes irregular weather,” said Claude, “so it’s easier to get lost than it seems, if you wander without paying attention. But if we keep our eyes on Motostoke and don’t get too distracted it should be alright, right? I mean, look at it!” He gestured emphatically.

“Oh, but there’s much more to this place than just plants and water,” said a third voice. Byleth and Claude whirled around, Byleth stifling a scream. Flayn was standing behind them, looking over at the Wild Area with a thoughtful expression, one elbow propped in her hand, and the other hand on her chin. “It’s filled with Dynamax dens and all sorts of wild Pokemon. Some are them are really strong – I daresay there are a few that would be difficult even for seasoned trainers to take on. You might spend more time running away from Pokemon than you would catching them.”

“Flayn?! When did you get here?”

“I believe I was on the same train as you, though in a different compartment. When I got the A-Okay from Father I decided to set out as soon as possible, before he changed his mind.” Flayn flashed them an excited smile and pumped her arms in excitement. “This is the first time I’ve gone adventuring in forever! I can’t believe I’m finally getting to do some field research! The data that I’ll be able to get from entering Dynamax dens firsthand … this experience will be beyond invaluable.”

“Dynamax dens, huh?” Claude leaned over to nudge Byleth with a smirk. “Those sound like they could be fun.”

“Oh, they are,” said Flayn eagerly. “Seeing Dynamaxing on television is one thing, but to see it happen right in front of you in the wild is a whole other.” She clasped her hands together. “It’s positively thrilling. I really recommend you stick your heads into some dens before you start the League, since almost all the Gym Leaders use it in their battles. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to practice Dynamaxing your own Pokemon as well.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to handle it?” Byleth asked doubtfully.

“Who’s to say?” she replied dreamily. “Dynamax Pokemon are pretty strong. But losing is a good way to learn too, and you can always run for it if it gets too much.”

As expected of a former contender for the title of Champion. Byleth twisted her Dynamax band around her wrist as she considered it. When Flayn put it like that, it seemed a shame not to take up this opportunity to observe and battle such Pokemon. They had no way of knowing what level of training their fellow competitors would have by the time they started the Gym Challenge, after all. Many of them probably had tons of experience of them already. Wouldn’t venturing out into the Wild Area be a good first step in closing that gap?

She turned and looked back out towards Motostoke. Unfortunately, the massive lake in the middle of the area wouldn’t allow them to make a straight beeline for the city. But that might not be a bad thing.

“Hey Claude,” she said. “Want to have a competition?”

“Hm?”

She pointed. “Let’s go our separate ways once we reach that lake. I’ll go left and you go right. Whoever makes it first to Motostoke wins.”

“Hey, what if left turns out to be a shortcut?”

“We won’t know unless we try, right?” Byleth grinned. “But you can take left if you want, I don’t care. Chickening out?”

“You wish.” He shoved her playfully in the shoulder. “But you should really reconsider, Byleth. By the time you get to Motostoke, I’ll have finished the championship.”

“Oh, you’re on. Are you going to come with us, Flayn?”

“You two go on ahead,” she said breezily. “I’m going to take my time wandering through the Area, so I probably won’t meet up with you guys until after the opening ceremony. Here’s a little gift before we part ways again, though.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out two small pink stuffed toys in the model of the Clefairy Pokemon. “These are Pokedolls. If you’re having trouble running away from a particularly aggressive Pokemon, throw them in their faces. It’ll confuse them long enough for you to get away, hopefully.”

Byleth and Claude glanced at each other. “Wouldn’t it be easier to throw rocks or something?” said Claude.

Flayn looked horrified. “But that might hurt them! This way they’ll have a plush friend to keep them company afterwards. They love stuff like this, I promise.”

Who was Byleth to argue with an almost-Pokemon professor? She obligingly accepted the doll, with Claude hesitantly following.

“Good luck!” she called after them as they walked past the fence and into the Wild Area. “I look forward to meeting whatever Pokemon you catch!”


	6. the southern wild area

Byleth had seen Nickits running about the Pokemon Routes back in Wedgehurst before, but nothing could have prepared her for seeing one Dynamaxed.

The dark sky of the den churned, and the air was thick with an indescribably oppressive haze. A light fog permeated the area, making indistinct the distant shapes of jagged rocks. For the most part, however, the deep violet ground was smooth and unbroken. Nickit loomed over them, looking down at Byleth with placid eyes half-lidded. Dark red clouds circled and twisted about its head. One of its dark ears flickered.

“Sobble, Max Geyser!”

Byleth had been trying very hard not to look too much at her Pokemon. Once the initial shock and delight of seeing a giant version of her weak-hearted, cheerful-faced baby had passed, she’d become acutely aware of now being barely as tall as Sobble’s previously cutely tiny hands were long. Sobble’s head was now roughly the size of a house. If she fell forward, Byleth would be miserably crushed.

A massive blast of water rocketed over Byleth’s head and crashed into Nickit, making both of them reel. The wind from the attack blew Byleth’s hair into her face, and when it receded, a cool and refreshing mist settled on her face.

Nickit seemed to, for the lack of a better word, explode a little. It didn’t fall to pieces or anything though, so Byleth hoped this was just a symptom of its Dynamax form failing and not anything more worrisome. Lightning crackled.

Dark Dynamax energy surged from Byleth’s wristband to gather around the pokeball in her hands, making it bigger – and heavier, apparently! She found herself using both hands to lift it above her head and hurl it with all her strength.

After Nickit was sucked in, the Pokeball fell onto the ground hard enough to make rocks fly up and Byleth wince. When it shrank, she had to run across the den to pick it up. Some part of her expected it to still be as heavy as before, or perhaps heavier now that it had been filled. But when she lifted it, it was as though it were a regular Pokeball.

She turned in time to see Sobble shrinking down again. Byleth smiled and extended her arm so she could hop onto her shoulder.

“Not bad for a first catch, huh?”

Sobble squeaked and nuzzled her neck with her head. Byleth laughed a little.

When they exited the den, the sudden daylight and greenery was almost blinding. She squinted, lifting one hand to shield her eyes from the sun. The return of wind and water and trees and sky and ambient nature noises relaxed her. They made their way through the tall grass surrounding the den with care, creeping cautiously so as not to disturb any more wild Pokemon than they already had getting to the den in the first place.

The journey through the Wild Area really hadn’t taken as long as she’d feared. Sure, they’d fended off and run away from a … truly exhausting number of Pokemon both curious and aggressive, but she’d been having enough fun about it that time had passed by quickly. For lunch they’d made curry out of berries Byleth had shaken from a tree, following a series of instructions left in her camping gear. That had been fun, and they weren’t currently doubled over on the ground dying from food poisoning, so all in all, the day had been successful.

The afternoon was getting late now, but she wasn’t worried. They’d reached the far end of the Southern Wild Area and would definitely make it to Motostoke with time to spare before nightfall.

An angry shout interrupted her thoughts. Byleth looked up to see a short-haired girl around the same age as herself running by, a Mudbray galloping at her side. She was looking over her shoulder at a round, blue, smooth-skinned Pokemon pursuing her far quicker than Byleth would have expected from an obvious water creature traversing on land.

“You’re so annoying!” the girl shouted. “If you’re not going to allow yourself to be caught, why don’t you just leave instead of following me?!”

She flung a Pokeball at it with impressive aim, and no small amount of desperation. Unfortunately, the Pokemon was delayed by only seconds. When it burst back out it immediately began running after the girl again.

The Mudbray whinnied nervously.

Byleth took out her Pokedex. Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokemon, it informed her helpfully. Its body is always slimy. It often bangs its head on the river bottom as it swims but seems not to care.

Quagsire was friend-shaped, or at least, looked as though it ought to be. Something about its frozen unfaltering smile and empty eyes was … off-putting. Regardless, she suspected this was one of the very strong Pokemon that Flayn had told her about.

She looked up in time to meet the girls’ furious eyes.

“You there! Are you going to just stand there or are you going to help me?”

“I – ”

“Forget it!” She spun to a stop on her heels, her stance aggressive. “Mudbray, use Double Kick!”

The Mudbray charged at the Quagsire with a rumbling cry. It lashed out with its hooves, but they bounced off the opposing Pokemon’s bouncy flesh to little effect.

Quagsire retaliated with a well-aimed Water Gun. Byleth recognized the move as one of Sobble’s, albeit with much more force than she was used to seeing.

Mudbray keeled over and returned to its Pokeball almost immediately. There was a stunned silence.

“Try running?” Byleth advised.

The girl shot her an irritated look. “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?”

Then, to Byleth’s horror, the Quagsire turned in her direction and opened its mouth to shoot water at her.

“Hey, what the hell!” she shouted as she rolled out of the way and towards the girl, tucking Sobble under her arms to shield her. “Why’s it attacking me?! I only just got here and I didn’t do anything!”

“If we run it’ll just follow us,” said the stranger. “We’re going to have to stand our ground and fight.”

“Do you have any other Pokemon?”

She hesitated. “They were all defeated ….”

“We can still run,” said Byleth, shoving her hands into her bag. “I have a Pokedoll. Sobble, buy me some time!”

“What the hell is a Pokedoll?”

Sobble made a squeak of agreement and placed herself between them and the Quagsire. She fixed it with a tearful look.

The other trainer made a noise of astonishment when the Pokemon actually faltered for a moment.

“Good job, Sobble!” She withdrew the Clefairy plush and sent up a prayer that Flayn hadn’t just been messing with her. (She wouldn’t do that, right? Her cousin had always been a kind and honest person, absolutely nothing like Sothis, so she wouldn’t have lied to her for the kicks, right? Oh Arceus, please let it be true.) Byleth flung it into the Quagsire’s face, scooped up Sobble with one arm, grabbed the girl by the arm with the other, spun them around and ran for it.

“What was that!” the girl exclaimed. She craned her head over her shoulder. “Wait, it’s working! It’s not chasing us!”

Byleth made a silent vow to do something nice for Flayn when she got out of the Wild Area. “Really?! I’m glad!”

She shot her a look of disbelief. “You didn’t know if what you did would have worked? What did you do, anyways?”

“It was my first time using a Pokedoll,” she admitted. “Also, it was the only one I had.”

They ran for a while, finally stopping a short ways away from a tall, dark, old-looking tower surrounded by ghost type Pokemon, many of whom glanced their way but none of whom, thankfully, approached. Byleth didn’t recognize the place but she had a feeling she was now further from Motostoke than she had been before.

She looked at the fellow trainer she’d picked up, currently wiping sweat from her brow.

Byleth had never been very good at making friends. She wasn’t like Claude, who equal parts charmed and annoyed his way into friendship circles with impressive ease. Most of the time she didn’t care – she had Sothis and Flayn and her Dad and Claude and all of their Pokemon, after all – but faced with this new same-aged stranger, she felt herself floundering.

“So,” she said, fighting to catch her breath. “Uh, are you participating in the Galar Gym Challenge?”

The girl was wearing a yellow T-shirt, overall jeans, and ratty white sneakers. She had orange hair and matching orange eyes that seemed to pierce through Byleth’s soul and find her wanting. Dirt smudged her cheek.

“Yeah,” she said, stretching out her legs with a wince. “You too?”

“Uh huh.” She hesitated, then stuck out her hand. “I’m Byleth.”

“Leonie Pinelli.” She shook it.

There! That was a good way to start off a friendship, or at least a friendly acquaintance, right?

“Let’s fight,” said Leonie.

Um, what? “I’m sorry?” she said blankly.

Leonie rolled her eyes and shoulders. “Pokemon trainers train Pokemon to fight, don’t they? Isn’t it tradition for two trainers who meet each other’s eyes to begin a battle?”

“Well, yes, but …” But Byleth hadn’t expected to be challenged so abruptly by someone she’d just saved! “Are your Pokemon alright? Aren’t they all fainted?”

“I’ll just heal one of them up,” said Leonie determinedly. “But any one of my Pokemon could defeat that Sobble of yours any day, I guarantee it.” She grinned at her, challenging. “What, scared? How are you going to win the Galar League if you can’t even defeat a fellow competitor outside the Gyms?”

Byleth discovered that she didn’t like being targeted by that sort of mocking tone very much when it wasn’t coming from Claude. “Technically, the Galar League hasn’t begun yet, since the opening ceremonies haven’t happened,” she said, frowning. Not to mention, Byleth still had yet to register. “But … I guess I can battle you.” Sothis often bragged about all the trainers she’d crushed over the course of becoming Champion. Byleth probably did need more experience if she ever wanted to stand before her sister as an opponent herself.

“Great!” Leonie stuck her hands into her pockets and paused.

Byleth and Sobble watched as she pulled her pockets inside out and found only her cell phone. She even took off her boots and held them upside down like she was something a revive to fall out.

“I guess I used up all of my stuff trying to fight that Quagsire,” said Leonie, pulling her boots back on. She cast a despairing look in the direction they’d come from.

Byleth glanced into her own bag. “I have a revive left, but no healing potions,” she said. “You can take it, if you like, though your Pokemon won’t be healed up fully if you still want to battle.”

Leonie scowled at her, then sighed. “Thanks, but it’s alright. I guess it would be more sensible to wait after all. I can always challenge you after the Gym Challenge begins. You better not forget the name of Leonie Pinelli, the next Champion!”

Somehow, Byleth highly doubted she would. “I look forward to it, then.” She offered her a tentative smile.

“You better put up a fight,” said Leonie, crouching to scratch a delighted Sobble under the chin. “Did anyone teach you to battle or are you learning by yourself?”

“I learned a bit of the basics from my family.” Byleth briefly considered saying, ‘I don’t know if you’ve heard of my sister? Her name is Sothis,’ but thought better of it. It might have been fun to be smug, but somehow she didn’t think Leonie would be very impressed. “Um, what about you?”

Leonie straightened immediately, chest puffing up in pride. “Believe it or not, I was trained by the best of the best. That’s right, you’re looking at the one and only student of the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world!”

“Eh, really?” said Byleth, more surprised than excited. “You were trained by Sothis too?”

Leonie’s expression immediately darkened. “What? No! I’m talking about Jeralt Eisner, the Pokeball Breaker! What do you mean you were trained by the Champion?!”

Byleth burst into laughter. “The Ball Breaker?!”

“Don’t be crass, it’s the POKEball Breaker! And – and, how dare you!” Leonie took a step forward with a fist in the air. Byleth doubled over, clutching at her stomach, laughing too hard to notice. “Jeralt is – Jeralt is an incredible trainer, just because you haven’t heard of him, you shouldn’t - ! Stop laughing!”

Byleth’s knees hit the grass. She fell sideways onto the grass with a wheeze. Sobble tottered up to her and started threading her tiny hands through her hair with placating squeaks. “S-Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean – I didn’t expect it, is all.”

Leonie’s fists were clenching and unclenching. Her face turned a blotchy red. “Just because – just because you were trained by someone as well known as the Champion, doesn’t make you better than me! I bet Jeralt could kick even the Champion’s ass if he really wanted to!”

It was dawning on Byleth that she’d really upset her. She struggled to fight down her smile as she sat up, to little avail. Leonie’s glare worsened. Byleth coughed and tried to think of something to say to placate her. “Um, you’re probably right. Jeralt has many more years of experience than Sothis, right?”

“Don’t patronize me!” Leonie snapped. She wiped furiously at her eyes. Byleth stared. “You obviously don’t really think he could win! And don’t call him old, you don’t know anything about him!”

Byleth lifted her hands in surrender. “I – ”

“Jeralt’s my hero! When I was a kid he gave me my first Pokemon and taught me how to battle! Even though it’s been so long he probably doesn’t remember me anymore, I’ll never forget my promise to make him proud by becoming Galar’s Champion. I’ll depose the unbeatable Sothis and make you regret laughing!”

Byleth didn’t know whether to laugh again or get offended. “I wasn’t really – ”

“I’ll beat her AND you!” said Leonie. She spun around on her heels and sprinted away. “Just you wait and see!”

“Hey, Leonie! Wait!”

Byleth started forward, but Leonie only ran faster. Soon she had disappeared into the trees.

She sighed and looked down at Sobble. “I think I screwed up. Do you think she hates me now?”

Sobble shrugged. Byleth picked her up and settled her on her shoulder. “Come on, it’s getting late. Let’s get this over with.”


End file.
